Staircase of Lies

My mother’s mother

Clumsily fumbled her way up

Mostly dropping my mother

From her hip

Into her latest boyfriend’s lap

My mother

Held me a little closer

But still dropped me

From time to time

To pick herself up

With whatever high she could get

A little herb or a man

What difference did it make

As she watched him

Walk me down the hall

Her steps didn’t lead very far

An unfair spiral

I would do better

Climb to the top

With my daughter on my back

No one would touch her

And she would be untouchable

No, I didn’t drop her

But on my back

I couldn’t see

That all she saw was down

When I came upon my own reflection

It cracked

From the lies

I had told myself

That I was good when I wasn’t

I tripped over a different step

But I tripped nonetheless